‘Our standard is still our standard’: How Pacers expect to benefit from lottery-bound season
Pacers guard Quenton Jackson after record-setting loss to Sixers: ‘Next year we come back and make a stand’
INDIANAPOLIS— With the season ending just around the corner, the Pacers have had one of their worst seasons in franchise history. They have battled injury after injury with their star player, Tyrese Haliburton, tearing his achilles tendon in the 2025 NBA Finals, T. J.
McConnell is out with a bilateral hamstring along with injuries to Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Johnny Furphy and Andrew Nembhard. Despite this, however, the Pacers showed glimpses of the growth within the team and coaches continue to express hope for the team. “We are a well-oiled machine,” said Pacers assistant head coach Lloyd Pierce, filling in for head coach Rick Carlisle, who was attending a family event.
This mindset from coaches set the tone going into Friday’s game against Philadelphia. The Pacers’ vets and rookies have been filling in, working with new lineups every week and adapting. Philadelphia came out dominating the paint and rarely shooting 3s.
It proved to be a physical team, especially in the first quarter. “Their activity bothered us early,” Pierce said. Sixers all-star guard Tyrese Maxey was a force to be reckoned with as he had 32 points, leading the team in scoring.